Cong MP seeks to extend Centre's maternity benefit scheme to 21K Chhattisgarh women

Congress MP Chhaya Verma on Thursday urged the government to include over 21,000 women from Chhattisgarh in the maternity benefit schemes, and also requested that the application procedure be made easy and user-friendly.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, she said, "21,000 women in Chhattisgarh do get the maternity benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana scheme of the Union government even after two years when the child was born. The forms are very lengthy and cumbersome, and it runs into 40 pages."

Chhaya Verma also said that if a woman gets pregnant, after one month she gets Rs 1,000 as first installment but in case of miscarriage, she does not get the benefits during the pregnancy of other child. "These anomalies must be ended and those who have miscarriage during pregnancy must be included under the benefit scheme during her next pregnancy.

During the Zero Hour the BJD member Muzibullah Khan raised the issue of setting up a Legislative Council Assembly in Odisha. He said that the state Assembly has passed a resolution to set up the Upper House in the Odisha Assembly and sent the proposal to the Centre.

"Our leader in the Rajya Sabha P. Acharya even asked for an update on this, but he was informed by the government that it has not received any such proposal. After that the Speaker of the Odisha Assembly sent the 'Resolution passed by the Assembly' to the Centre. I urged the Centre to consider the state Assembly proposal."

Congress MP P. Bhattacharjee demanded a minute of silence for the Rampurhat victims in West Bengal.

He said that the state government has ordered a probe, but the House should observe one minute of silence for the victims.

Congress MP K.C. Venugopal on Thursday alleged that the Delhi Police manhandled him and some other members near the Vijay Chowk while they were returning after attending a demonstration during the Zero Hour.

Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu asked Venugopal to send a detailed note regarding the incident. "I will get information from the Union Home Ministry," Naidu assured Venugopal.